This Christmas, ten larger than life festive Nutcracker statues will appear across Southport Town Centre, courtesy of Southport BID.












The six-foot nutcrackers will appear on the 20^th of November in pop up locations all around the town centre. Christmas fans will be challenged to explore the town to find all ten Nutcrackers to be in with a chance of winning an iPad mini!
Southport BID has organised the trail to bring festive charm to the town centre and provide a unique, new attraction in the run up to Christmas








Interim BID Chair, Susannah Porter says of the trail; “We are excited to be bringing the Nutcrackers into the town. The tale of the Nutcracker Doll is a magical Christmas story and we wanted to bring that magic to Southport. The trail will add some festive sparkle and will be a great way to entertain the family in the run up to Christmas. We also want to give visitors extra reason to visit the town centre, and to give them an incentive to explore all that Southport has to offer
Southport will have added sparkle this year with our beautiful, hand built new decorations, our stunning 60-foot tree installation and we the Nutcrackers will be a beautiful and traditional addition”

The BID will also be putting on festive street entertainers, including some real-life Nutcrackers over the Christmas period and are working with retailers on a late-night shopping event for the 19^th of December. The BID’s Christmas switch on takes place on Sunday the 17^th November, headlined for 2019 by Peter Andre.


For more information on the trail please head to visitsouthport.com or southportbid.com or follow the BID at @southportBID for all Christmas updates and news

Better put them somewhere the vandals can't reach.

ooooh whoopee must go to southport they've got giant chess pieces on display .gormleys statues step aside .next milans must haves. only profits gone to their makers.!

I really don't get this.

They scrap the ice skating because it's not economically viable, and effectively replace it with some statues that must have cost a lot (even if they are hired, not bought) and to top it off they're giving away an ipad.

At least the ice skating could generate some revenue, and profit, if managed properly, but a display of statues can't do this.

Originally Posted by Lamparilla

At least the ice skating could generate some revenue, and profit,.

For who though? The BID or the operators of the rink?

Originally Posted by salus.populi

For who though? The BID or the operators of the rink?

Well, the ice rink was funded by the BID and Sefton MBC, with support from outside organisations.

The BID always described it as 'our' ice rink, so I would guess that any surplus funds would go to the BID. The cost of the operators would be just that, i.e. a cost. I wouldn't think that the BID would be naive enough to fund the rink and then let the operators pocket all the takings.

My point, though, was that the statues are just a cost, with no opportunity to generate revenue. At least the ice rink attracts paying customers, irrespective of how the revenue is distributed, so it must be seen as more 'economically viable' than the statues.

Originally Posted by Lamparilla

Well, the ice rink was funded by the BID and Sefton MBC, with support from outside organisations.

The BID always described it as 'our' ice rink, so I would guess that any surplus funds would go to the BID. The cost of the operators would be just that, i.e. a cost. I wouldn't think that the BID would be naive enough to fund the rink and then let the operators pocket all the takings.

My point, though, was that the statues are just a cost, with no opportunity to generate revenue. At least the ice rink attracts paying customers, irrespective of how the revenue is distributed, so it must be seen as more 'economically viable' than the statues.

Statues can generate revenue, albeit on a grander scale Another Place has had and continues to attract visitors who will spend in the local community, myself included. The Superlambananas & Manchester Bee's also generated income for local business, both of which I visited on several occasions.

Unlike the ice rink where you can see actual income from ticket sales the income from such initiatives as this are harder to track as there is no actual ticket sales, it is hoped that people visiting will spend in the local community.

Originally Posted by gsgsgs

Statues can generate revenue, albeit on a grander scale Another Place has had and continues to attract visitors who will spend in the local community, myself included. The Superlambananas & Manchester Bee's also generated income for local business, both of which I visited on several occasions.

Unlike the ice rink where you can see actual income from ticket sales the income from such initiatives as this are harder to track as there is no actual ticket sales, it is hoped that people visiting will spend in the local community.

Yes, I agree, but I find it strange that the BID scrapped one of the few things where you could measure revenue, and have to rely on 'hope'.

If I had a local business and was asked to pay a levy and vote to renew the BID, I'd want to see some measureable results in pounds, shillings and pence.

I really don't know why BID bother, can't do right for doing wrong.

Originally Posted by Ceam

I really don't know why BID bother, can't do right for doing wrong.

I'm sure you would agree, though, that they need to be accountable.

Yes, they are volunteers, but they are taking money from local businesses for their projects, and I find it odd that they scrap the skating rink, which at least recoups some funds, but buy/hire the statues which have no immediate or measureable source of revenue. I'm not saying it's 'wrong', but from a business point of view it doesn't, to me, make sense.

Originally Posted by Lamparilla

I'm sure you would agree, though, that they need to be accountable.

Yes, they are volunteers, but they are taking money from local businesses for their projects, and I find it odd that they scrap the skating rink, which at least recoups some funds, but buy/hire the statues which have no immediate or measureable source of revenue. I'm not saying it's 'wrong', but from a business point of view it doesn't, to me, make sense.

Do you know if they got any money from the ice skating?

Don't get me wrong I thought the ice ring was a great idea, But I don't know who got the funds from it?

Originally Posted by Ceam

I really don't know why BID bother, can't do right for doing wrong.

youre under the illusion and influence of all the hype and misimformation they purvey! its another council led tax ,their like the parking companies feasting off its zone .most buissnesses in southport or elsewhere don't want them! take a look at the website against bid .across the country buissnesses are being abused and denied their rights by bids and their councils bosses .they are not towns or buissnesse friends.but their hype will paint another picture.to sum up their title says it all .bullies .in .disguise.!

Originally Posted by Ceam

Do you know if they got any money from the ice skating?

Don't get me wrong I thought the ice ring was a great idea, But I don't know who got the funds from it?

As I said in my post above:

The BID always described it as 'our' ice rink, so I would guess that any surplus funds would go to the BID. The cost of the operators would be just that, i.e. a cost. I wouldn't think that the BID would be naive enough to fund the rink and then let the operators pocket all the takings.

However, I don't know the exact agreement between the BID and the operators, but I would have thought that the BID's aim would be at least to cover their costs. However, the reason that they gave for scrapping it was that it took too big a proportion of their funds, which suggests that it was a substantial net cost to them. It just sounds odd to me, because the public were paying to use it and one would have thought that the deal with the operators would have meant that they would have to hand over a % of the takings.

I bet you lot are a really good laugh at dinner parties.....

Originally Posted by The Edge

I bet you lot are a really good laugh at dinner parties.....

Maybe not, but we wouldn't be so rude as to make cheap personal remarks without contributing to the discussion.